Laundry preparation



Patented Nov. 14, 1922.

STA

31; NT 7 OFF rift IPA Parr. LQMABREY, or coLU'MBUsoHIo, r

LAUNDRY PREPARATION.

No Drawing.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that PHIL' L. MABREY, a citsubjected prior to their emergingin the acidic or souring bath; to remove stains and generally soften thegoods, or fabrics, to

' prevent injurious effectsl' thereon by reason of the chemicalscontained in the variousbaths to which-the goods are subjected, and

to render the said goods adaptable and capable of more readily receivingthe intended effects of the subsequent blueing baths.

In steam laundries it is the common practice in thewashing of fabrics toplace the latter,-after being initially washed by one or more soapbaths,;in a bath containing an alkali, usually chlorate of lime, for thepurpose of bleaching and whitening generally the goods or fabrics sotreated. Following this the goods are placed in an acidic bath, commonlyknown as a sour for the purpose of neutralizing the effects of thechlorate of lime, in order that the goods will be rendered softer andfree from the rough,

.coarse orharsh effects produced therein by the remainingpresence of thealkali. Also,-

the acidic bath is utilized to remove stains and other discolorationsfrom the goods and to thereby more efiiciently renovate the latter. Incarrying out this purpose, acetic and oxalic acids are commonly utilizedin imparting the necessary degree of acidity'to thi latter bath,however, it has been observedthat the acetic acid alone does not havesufficient strength to remove fruit, iron. erspiration and other stainsor discoloratlons from the goods, but can be merely employed for thepurpose of counteracting the effects of the alkali, Oxalic acid, on theother hand by. reason of its greater relative strength or activity isnot only'capable of neutralizing the effects of the lime but; also,effectively serves in removing thediscolora tions above noted and,therefore, laundries usually adopt the same for the purpose specified.However, the use, of oxalic acid while effective in the capacity statednever- Application filed May 12,1921. Serial No. 470,282.

the-less has a distinctly detrimental effect upon the goodstreatedtherewith, inasmuch as "*such goods, When' repeatedly subjectedthereto and'within-"a' relatively short time becomes burned, because ofthe fact that the oxalic acid is very diflicult to remove from thegoods, and by remaining therein causes their normal usefulness and lifeto be materially foreshortened.

The present invention, therefore, consists wherein oxalicacidis'present, but in combined relationship with certain othermaterials, hereinafter specifically set forth, which serve to permit theordinary beneficial results of said acid to be retained but, inaddition, act to enable the said acid to be decomposed and used upentirely when employed in the presence of hot water, so thatsubstantially none, or a negligible amount, of such acidwill remain inthe fabric treated therewith, and to thereby avoid undue disintegrationor premature destruction of said fa rics.

To this end, I employ the following ma- 'in the provision of a souringcomposition terials in substantially the proportions set I forth:

sofgium silico fluoride, containing 58% uorine 59% Oxalic acid, powdered25% Alum, powdered 8% Fine table salt 8% 'Thege materialsare assembledin bulk and are thoroughly mixed together, an efiicient mechanicalmixture being obtained by means of revolving brushes, which serve tocombine and 'intermingle all of the ingredients so that the same may beuniformly distributed throughout the bulk of the combined materials thusproduced. These .materials when combined and mixed produce a relativelyfine powdered mass, which may be placed insuitable containers forcommercial handling, the sodium silico acting to hold the fluorine andto prevent it from being wasted, by reason of its volatility when thecontainers are being moved about.

The substance or composition produced by combining the materials setforth is, whenactively used, adapted to'be placed in hot water ofsubstantially 190 Fab in which the fabric is to be washed, ordlnarllybut substantially four ounces or even less of the composition beingemployed to approxi-' mately seventy-five pounds of goods to be washedthereby. When laced in the hot Water containing the goods the sodiumsilico fluoride assists the oxalic acid in securing a whitening of thegoods and removal of stains therefrom Without allowing the goods to bedetrimentally effected by the acid. Also, by the use of the salt, theoxalic acid is broken up or decomposed and is used up entirely whenemployed in hot water, therefore, the same does not remain in the goodstreated therewith after the washing process has been completed. Bypowdering the oxalic acid the same is enabled to dissolve and act,simultaneously With the fluorine, in

order that complete activity of both acids may be obtained substantiallysimultaneously. The alum also enables the setting of the blueing whenthe goods are subsequently treated to a separate blueinp bath, and toreduce the amount of the blueing; or other dye required in such latterbath. The salt not only acts to decompose the oxalic acid but serves toaccelerate the liberation of fluorine from the sodium silico fluoride.

In view of the foregoing description, it will be apparent that thepresent invention provides a composition which will serve to enablecommercial laundries to handlefabrics in such manner that while athorough cleansing or renovation thereof will be effected, yet prematuredestruction of such fabrics, by reason of the chemicals in the variousbaths to which they are subjected will be overcome, and consequently thesaid fabrics may be treated repeatedly and successively to such washingtreatments without becoming unduly worn or injured by said chemicals.Furthermore, in my preparation it will only be necessary to employ substantially four ounces thereof to seventyfive pounds of goods treated,whereas when oxalic acid is employed alone at least six ounces thereofis necessitated. Therefore, the present invention not only saves thefabric, but may also be employed more economically for producing similarresults than can oxalic acid. I of course realize that oxalic acid hasbeen used as a part of previous washing compositions of this nature, butto the best of my knowledge oxalic acid has 'never been employed in suchmanner as to eliminate its injurious effects upon fabrics withoutminimizing its ordinary effectiveness and in the economical manner setforth. I therefore claim the material set forth in the formula abovegiven. or their chemical equivalents, it being understood that thenomenclature applied to the several materials is of secondaryimportance, since vari' ous other chemical terms may be applied theretoWithout deviation from the real materials specified.

What is claimed is:

1. A souring composition for laundries, comprising an oxalic acid base,in combination with sodium silico fluoride and salt.

2. A laundry composition comprising sodium silico fluoride, incombination with ox.- alic acid, alum. and salt.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

PHIL L. MABREY.

